Wonderings--May 9

I wonder if you might take a little walk around your house with me today? And as we walk maybe take a long, slow look at what is present. . . what's on the walls. . . what's on the shelves and in the drawers? Go slowly around and notice your house. 

James K.A. Smith believes that every house has an unspoken 'vibe' carried throughout it; and ethos of the household that is present. Through its daily rituals--the way we pass through the home and exist there--a story or 'hum' is speaking to, and for, us. It might even be something that is being shared without us being aware of it. 

Smith says:

"You might have Bible verses on the wall in every room of the house and yet the unspoken rituals reinforce self-centeredness rather than sacrifice. Thus each household and family does well to take an audit of its daily routines, looking at them through a liturgical lens.

What Story is carried in those rhythms? 

What vision of the good life [in Christ] is carried in those practices?  

What sorts of people are made by immersion in these cultural liturgies?"

I believe strongly in the power of story as a more effective and potent method for sharing the redemptive work of Christ in our lives. Story helps to communicate the meaning of what is place in our lives for others. And so there is a story at work even in our homes. 

When Smith speaks about the "unspoken rituals [that] reinforce self-centeredness" perhaps he is asking you to consider how your home supports your on-going faith practices and how it supports your evangelistic practices? 

Does the calendar in the kitchen support time for you and your family to be with Jesus each day? Is the dinning room or kitchen table accessible so that the family can and will gather together to break bread as Jesus did with his disciples? What about entertainments devices such as televisions, gaming systems, or computers, do they occupy a central place in the home and thereby, through extension, drive Christ to the 'when I have time area' of life? 

No one ever means to push Jesus to the margins of life. He is our Savior and our focal point of living. Yet our lives, and our homes, can show a different dynamic if we are not careful. These things can tell a different story--one we do not even realize we are telling as people enter our living spaces. 

So I wonder what might happen if you took a walk around your home today? What might God show you about your priorities and your choices? 

Blessings

Rev. Derek